112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. CON. RES. 34 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Whereas Va ́clav Havel, former President of the Czech Republic, passed away on December 18, 2011, at 75 years of 

age, at his country home in Hra ́decˇek in the Czech Republic; 

Whereas Va ́clav Havel was widely recognized and respected 

throughout the world as a defender of democratic principles and human rights; 

Whereas through his extensive writings, Va ́clav Havel courageously challenged the ideology and legitimacy of the authoritarian communist regimes that ruled Central and 

Eastern Europe during the Cold War; 

Whereas Va ́clav Havel, who was imprisoned 3 times by the 

Communist Party of Czechoslovakia for his advocacy of 

universal human rights and democratic principles, maintained his convictions in the face of repression; 

Whereas Va ́clav Havel was one of the leading organizers of 

Charter 77, a group of 242 individuals who called for the 

human rights guaranteed under the 1975 Helsinki accords to be realized in Czechoslovakia; 

Whereas Va ́clav Havel was a cofounder of the Committee for 

the Defense of the Unjustly Prosecuted, an organization 

dedicated to supporting dissidents and their families, 
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which helped to advance the cause of freedom and justice 

in Czechoslovakia; 

Whereas Va ́clav Havel, as leader of the Civic Forum movement, was a key figure in the 1989 peaceful overthrow 

of the Czechoslovakian communist government known as 

the Velvet Revolution; 

Whereas following the Velvet Revolution, Va ́clav Havel was 

democratically elected as President of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic in 1990, and after a peaceful partition forming 2 separate states, democratically elected 

President of the Czech Republic in 1993; 

Whereas under the leadership of Va ́clav Havel, the Czech Republic became a prosperous, democratic country and a respected member of the international community; 

Whereas under the leadership of Va ́clav Havel, the Czech Republic became a member of the North Atlantic Treaty 

Organization (NATO) on March 12, 1999, and continues 

to be a valued friend and treasured ally of the United 

States; 

Whereas during his lifetime, Va ́clav Havel received praise as 

one of the world’s great democratic leaders and awarded 

many international prizes recognizing his commitment to 

peace and democratic principles; 

Whereas on July 23, 2003, President George W. Bush honored Va ́clav Havel with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award of the United States Government, for being ‘‘one of liberty’s great heroes’’; 

Whereas, after leaving office as president of the Czech Republic in February 2003, Va ́clav Havel remained a voice 

on behalf of democratic dissidents worldwide and against 
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authoritarian regimes, including Belarus, Iran, Cuba, and 

Burma: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 

2 concurring), That Congress— 

3 (1) mourns the loss of Va ́clav Havel and offers 

4 its heartfelt condolences to the Havel family and the 

5 people of the Czech Republic; 

6 (2) recognizes Va ́clav Havel’s courage and com7 mitment to democratic values in the face of com8 munist repression; 

9 (3) recognizes Va ́clav Havel’s pivotal historical 

10 legacy in defeating the ideology of communism, 

11 peacefully ending the Cold War, and building a Eu12 rope that is democratic, united, and at peace; 

13 (4) recognizes Va ́clav Havel’s solidarity with 

14 democratic dissidents throughout the world and sup15 port for the expansion of freedom, including in 

16 Belarus, Iran, Cuba, and Burma; and 
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1 (5) reaffirms the commitment of the United 

2 States to the causes of freedom, democracy, and 

3 human rights for which Va ́clav Havel stood. 

Passed the Senate January 30, 2012. 

Attest: 

Secretary. 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. CON. RES. 34 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of Congress in honor of the 

life and legacy of Va ́clav Havel.